Project & Technical Director

Overview

Jhpiego seeks a Project and Technical Director to provide vision, leadership and direction for an anticipated global health security project in Ethiopia that aims to improve the country capacity and leadership in the prevention, early detection and response to infectious disease threats.

The Project and Technical Director will have overall responsibility for leadership, management and reporting of all project activities. The Project and Technical Director will be responsible for achieving the planned results set out for the project, as well as project deliverables and reporting, and serves as the primary point of contact with the donor. The Project and Technical Director will be responsible for making key decisions and solving problems in short time frames while ensuring operational and project quality and integrity. They will serve as the project’s main point of contact with CDC and the Ethiopia government on routine and strategic matters.

The project is expected to operate over a five-year period.

This position is contingent upon award and annual funding from CDC. Ethiopian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction to ensure programmatic and financial integrity of the project and to achieve rapid and sustained goals, objectives and targets
• Provide technical leadership to ensure interventions are high-quality, sustainable, evidence-based, and responsive to the needs of the country, its people, and the donor.
• Support implementation of activities/initiatives in alignment with global standards and best practices to advance Joint External Evaluation (JEE) scores
• Provide capacity building to governmental and local institutions
• Ensure compliance with the terms of the award and organizational compliance and adherence to policies and guidelines
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with CDC and the Ministry of Health, subnational offices, related Ministries (including those for animal health/dairy, agriculture, environment), public health partners, member organizations and professional associations, private health care networks, local civil society organizations and local research institutions to maximize resources and avoid duplication of effort.
• Represent Jhpiego and the project’s progress, achievements and lessons learned to CDC, the MOH and other key stakeholders, and through meetings, technical working groups, conferences, and presentations
• Lead the annual work planning process with the project team, and in close collaboration with CDC, MOH, key stakeholders, partners, and ensure effective resource planning and utilization
• Responsible for the overall management of the project budget and ensure the project delivers on time, on scope and on budget
• Oversee preparation and timely submission of quality project reports to donors
• Mentor, support, supervise and manage a team of highly qualified staff and align their efforts to ensure rapid and sustainable results
• Lead and motivate the project team, ensuring high levels of performance across all areas, fostering a culture of critical problem solving, innovation and strategic thinking
• Provide technical oversight and guidance, in collaboration with staff, to partners to ensure they deliver on their scope
• Support capacity development for local entities and institutions (e.g. National Public Health Agencies)
• Work with Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) staff to develop the project’s Evaluation and Performance Management Plan and effectively track data/results
• Work with finance and project staff to develop and track project budgets
• Author and/or review abstracts, presentations, and articles related to the project for journals and conferences .
• Ensure resources for program implementation are available.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in medicine, nursing, health sciences, epidemiology, public health or a related field
• At least ten (10) years of experience successfully managing international health sector development projects that have implemented successful activities in GHS, surveillance, outbreak response, laboratory strengthening or workforce development
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in establishing project systems and overseeing project start-up and close-out
• Experience working with sub-/grantees, local and international and knowledge of capacity development approaches for locally led development
• Previous experience working in Ethiopia with an intimate understanding of local health system gaps, opportunities, and outbreaks, with the expertise and ability to provide, develop, and advance Ethiopia’s National Action Plan for Health Security and maintaining solid relationships with government agencies.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills and ability to translate data into action, and communicate results to wide range of audiences
• Intimate understanding of local health systems and gaps and opportunities in the mentioned technical areas
• Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with donors, host-country counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs and CSOs
• Experience hiring and supervising personnel and ensuring they acquire the necessary training and skills to meet evolving project needs
• Previous experience working on CDC-funded projects, matched with an in-depth knowledge of CDC regulations, compliance and reporting requirements preferred
• Excellent verbal, written interpersonal and presentation skills in English
• Ability to coach, mentor and develop technical capacity in regional and national projects and technical staff
• Proficiency in word processing and Microsoft Office applications
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally

Salary: Between 28,659 – 53,164 USD per annum.

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

Skills Required:

• Health / Medical